Saturday, August 8, 2015

Our Busy July

 
The Fourth of July was just another day to most people in Hong Kong, but we Senior Missionaries celebrated in style with a big American BBQ complete with ribs, potato salad and all trimmings.
David's comment, "How am going to eat all THIS!"
 Note the Apple Pomegranate Salad we brought in front of David.
 
One week a month the missionaries and branch missionaries and members go out finding every day of the week.  They tell us that they have never had Senior missionaries go with them, but now David and President Smith go with them every day and I go when I am not busy teaching piano or sewing or helping our prospective missionaries with their mission papers or doing Family History which all seem to take up my mornings!
 


Here is a group of women we found who committed to come to church and really came.  The parks and malls are full of Filipina women who have a day off and "spend their time sitting, waiting for nothing" as one member told me.  She said she did the same thing before she found the church and has a much better way to spend her days now.  David is taking the picture.

This is a family that David and the members found.  They said they would come to church so David went out and bought some milk in case the baby got hungry.  They got sidetracked, but we still have the milk (in a box) in case they make it someday.


We were excited that the Dragon Boat Races were going to be held right in our front yard so we walked over to watch. 




For some reason, there was a Chinese Scottish Band Marching around....bagpipes and all.  We thought that was pretty random!





 
We expected huge crowds like they have in Cambodia for the Boat Races but in spite of lots of teams, there were few spectators.  We didn't mind that at all!


One afternoon we got away before dark and since it was a Statutory Holiday (an extra day off for the domestic workers) we happened to run into some of our sisters, so we all jumped on the ferry and we treated them to dinner on the other side.

 
 
It was so fun to be with them outside of regular church activities! 
Meet Pearl, Katrina and Kathy.
 

We got to experience preparations for a big typhoon.  The day before, all the windows in town and in our hotel were taped to prevent flying glass.  Barriers were put up against the waterfront.  The day it was supposed to come, Church was dismissed early so everyone could get home safely.  The streets were packed with people and the buses and the MTR were jammed so we opted to run to the ferry in hopes to make it before it quit running.

 
As you can see, it was a good choice as we took this picture from the ferry. 
Below you can see the crowds on the streets.






The wind blew and we got a little rain, but the Typhoon never hit us. 

 

We were excited to have two of our former Cambodian Sister Missionaries come to Hong Kong with their American fiancés that they met on LDS Planet to be married. 
 
Sister Mat Navy and Matthew and Sister Tol Vanny and Terry. 

 
Navy and Matt dropped in one evening and stayed for dinner.
 
 


 
We joined Navy and Matt at City Hall for their Civil Marriage
 


Then we all went to the Wedding Registry in Hong Kong Park for the Marriage of Vanny and Terry.

In the afternoon we all attended the temple sealing of Navy and Matthew.



 
We have many different activities after all our church meetings are over. 
 Here is Sister Claire teaching us how to make mango pickles. 
 They were yummy!
 
We have choir practice.  I have been blessed to be able to play the piano well enough to accompany the sisters! 
There is no end to the selfies around here!  This one is called "Fun after Choir"

 
You can't see me, but I am off to the left playing the piano......a real miracle!
 
 
We learned how to fold towels into animals and cakes just like they do on cruise ships!


 
We have fun cooking in the kitchen!
 
We had a class on how to put on makeup.  They asked for volunteers to be made up, but what they didn't mention is that the person applying the makeup would be blindfolded! 
This would be a great YW Activity!!

 
And of course.....we always eat together!

Here we are on a P-Day at Dim Sum with the couples who help us with Saturday Family.


 

They took an official mission picture of us here.  I think it's pretty bad, but maybe that's just the way we look!  I wish I would have known that it was going to be taken and I would have worn something besides my black sweater that I wear every day to keep warm in our freezing building!







 
 

Sunday, July 5, 2015

An exciting month for us.....


What fun June has been......full of great family events at home and fun with friends here in Hong Kong!

June 5th was our 51st wedding anniversary!


 
We look a little different now, but are still crazy about each other!
 
 

David was so cute on our anniversary.  Somehow he sneaked out without anyone noticing and bought red roses for me and hid them in various refrigerators.  Then after church, he gathered me and all the others around, gave me the roses and then sang “The Rose” to me (a’capella!) while everyone else oohed and ahhhed.  I love that man!  So does everyone else around here!  Someone made a video of it all, but I can't seem to download it, so you will just have to imagine how sweet it was!!
 
On June 6th, our beautiful little granddaughter Rhiannon Towers was baptized.  We are so proud of her for making this important commitment!

 
 
Then came my birthday.  Even though I never listed a word on Facebook about what day I was born, the word got around and I have never had so many birthday wishes, flowers and gifts!  I felt very loved!
 
 

This is Yani, an Indonesian sister from Saturday family, who gave me these flowers.
  

These are Sisters Amor, MaryAnn and Shirley from Tuesday Family, with their flowers for me.

Everyday the message board was full of birthday wishes, like this one from Wilson, one of our few men.
 
 
 
My best birthday present arrived a day late
                        ...Little Lillian Blythe Jasper...our 21st grandchild! 
                                                                                      How blessed we are!
 
 
 
Here in the Hong Kong Victoria 2nd Branch we continue to have fun....and eat.....
........and eat .....                                                     and eat..... 



and eat...... 


and eat......


 
 and eat.....!   Is it any wonder we don't lose weight?  It'sa good thing we walk a lot!



President Smith and David making waffles.








The popcorn popper extraordinaire!  We showed the movie "Meet the Mormons" and David made popcorn!  It was a hit!!...(Both the movie AND the popcorn!)


Our sisters love  to dance and love it when we will join in! 

These sisters are doing a traditional dance to celebrate Philippine Independence Day.


We play crazy games.....
 
Our sisters LOVE to take "Selfies"  Here I am with with Sister Mary Ann while we were waiting for Relief society to begin.
 

 
Probably the hightlight of the month was the Father's Day Party put on by our Saturday Family.  I hurt my knee and couldn't walk so I wasn't there, but David said it was so funny that his face hurt from laughing!  When he showed me the pictures, I couldn't even recognize our beautiful sisters!! 
 
 
 




The few fathers we have were recognized with flowers. 
 
 
Sometimes we get serious.....  One day we did a service project....cleaning the kitchen drawers!

Another day we had a Baptism of an Indonesian sister named Ling Ling.
 
 
We were excited that one of our former Cambodian missionaries, Kong Phean and his family came to the Hong Kong Temple to be sealed.


Another of our Cambodian missionaries, Long Saret, came to Hong Kong for training for his finance job in  in the Cambodian Serivce Center.

 
 
On our P-Day we prepare lessons and talks for the coming week.


 

Sometimes it unexpectedly starts to pour with rain.  If you forget your umbrella, it only takes a minute to get this wet!



 We are so lucky to live in a city full of culture and entertainment!  Here are the great things we were able to fit in in June.

 


 
We decided we needed to go to the Chinese Opera while we are here.  This production had lots of acrobatic parts which were really enjoyable.


 
 It's way too hot to spend time outside, so all our outings have been indoors this month!